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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: squash · stem · hide · cap · saw · rest · straw · wave

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. stem — to come from
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. squash — the sport
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. squash — to crush
  8. cap — a hat
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. rest — what's left
  12. saw — the tool
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. cap — a lid
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rest — what's left
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. cap — of ice

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com